I’m totally cheating in this week’s The Broke and the Bookish top ten, because I already blogged about this earlier in the month, so I’m really just gonna re-list them. I hope that people check out the links, though, because eight out of the ten books actually have interviews with the authors attached that I definitely recommend! (Also, I did my post entirely on 2013 books, though I definitely read some other faves this year!)

First, though, because I did it earlier in the month, I want to give shoutouts to the two books that are definitely contenders but which I read after picking my top 10 (always the danger, I know, I know) and so didn’t make the cut:

THE INTERESTINGS by Meg Wolitzer and THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING by Robyn Schneider were both great, but more than that, the two of them combined to basically create the perfect amalgam of my own personal high school existence. Ash and Cassidy could be combined to make one very specific past friend of mine, and realizing that was simultaneously great and terrifying. It’s weird to have books hit so close to home that I kept mentally inserting certain apartments or lunch tables into scenes, but given I had a somewhat “unorthodox” (IF YOU KNOW ME YOU KNOW WHY THAT IS A FABULOUS PUN) upbringing, I always find it very cool when books manage to transport me in that way. I don’t know that they’re necessarily books that would garner universal love or if the personal connection plays in just that strongly for me, but at least with THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING, I kept thinking it reminded me of LOOKING FOR ALASKA (though I personally preferred it), so, if that might be your thing, I’d advocate checking it out.

And now, onward to my top 10! (Links go to the posts from my Top 10 series, which contain interviews with each author, except in the cases of Rainbow Rowell and Gayle Forman.)

UNTEACHABLE by Leah Raeder (Leah’s been lovely enough to let me interview her twice, so that name link is to the original, longer one.)

Anyway, it’s the end of the year, and I’m feeling reflect-y, and also I’m really bored at work, so, here are some things that happened this year!

January:My birthday! Whee! JK getting older is dumb, but I guess better than not getting older, and wow that got morbid fast. WTF was I even doing in January? Umm, I was definitely on sub, which is awful, and writing JUST VISITING, which is a thing I wrote this past year that I love, and…that’s it? I think? Did other stuff happen? I don’t even know. OH, WAIT, it was Pitch Wars, and that completely consumed my life and was insane. But also I had the world’s greatest mentees in Ghenet Myrthil, Nikki Urang (who went from being my alternate to being my pub-sister, both with the same freaking awesome book, THE HIT LIST), and Elodie.

The best part, though, was my amazing CPs, Marieke Nijkamp and Maggie Hall, coming to stay with me. They came in for SCBWI-NY (more on that in February) but I got them first, and it was afreakingmazing. SO MUCH SHOPPING AND READING AND BOOK TALK, OH MY. Plus we went to a great event at Barnes & Noble to hear Janet Reid and Don Maass, and got to meet Awesome Agents Amy Boggs, Katie Shea, and the fabulous woman who would go on to become Marieke’s agent, Jen Udden.

February: SCBWI-NY, baby! Which, whatever about the conference itself, but so much fun meeting so many other writers and having my absurdly amazing CPs, Marieke Nijkamp and Maggie Hall, stay with me. Actually hanging out with both of them and another of my amazing CPs, Gina Ciocca, in person, was nothing short of surreal. Plus, we rocked my argyle collection pretty damn hard:

Also got to meet tons of other awesome author friends, including Kim Liggett, Liz Briggs, and Alex Brown, and party like rock stars in a hotel room that would fit maybe three rock stars total. (I am not so good at putting in pictures, obviously, but here are some fun tweets with pictures from that night: Group shot; Me, Alex, and Marieke; CP mania)

March: Oh man, March was fun. I’d never even heard of Teen Author Festival before a few months earlier, but I went to such amazing events and met such cool authors, and I can’t wait to do this again in 2014. I can’t even talk about anything else here, so, just check these things out and be jealous, basically:

What I Read: CODE NAME VERITY by Elizabeth Wein, SAME DIFFERENCE by Siobhan Vivian, LA CANDY by Lauren Conrad, REAL LIVE BOYFRIENDS by E. Lockhart, DITCHED by Robin Mellom, MY NAME IS NOT EASY by Debby Dahl Edwardson, NOW YOU SEE HER by Jacquelyn Mitchard, THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST by Emily M. Danforth, ZETA OR OMEGA by Kate Harmon, ELEANOR & PARK by Rainbow Rowell, 17 & GONE by Nova Ren Suma, PAST PERFECT by Leila Sales

April: April is always basically a non-existent month for me because Passover is so all-consuming, but in this case, it’s the month I sold my book to Patricia Riley at Spencer Hill Contemporary, so that was pretty cool and who cares about anything else? Oh, and my niece was born. I care about that a lot. BUT THAT’S IT.

What I Read: SWEETHEARTS by Sara Zarr, THE REECE MALCOLM LIST by Amy Spalding, TRAPPED by Michael Northrop, THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB by Elizabeth Eulberg, THE DISENCHANTMENTS by Nina LaCour, Hancock Park by Isabel Kaplan

May: BEA. BEA. BEA.Don’t even ask me to remember anything else about this month. Like, I legit could not possibly. And I only even spent one afternoon at the actual expo. For me, living in NYC, this was allll about just being here while some of the most awesome bookish people in the world flooded my city.

June:Well, June was fun, because agent splits always are, and so are little I AM SO DONE WITH WRITING YA breakdowns. On the bright side, it pushed me to get going on the NAs I’d been really excited to write, and that’s been going strangely well ever since!

July: Basically, a querying whirlwind that ended in my getting a wonderful new agent whom I adore. Forgot what a full-time job that was, though my Contemp NA standalone kept kinda writing itself at the time, which was lovely! Also went to Atlanta for a weekend, which was excellent and also allowed me to once again see my wonderful (and then-preggers) CP Gina!

What I Read: STRIPPED by Brooklyn Skye, MY LIFE AFTER NOW by Jessica Verdi, SMALL TOWN SINNERS by Melissa C. Walker, MY LIFE NEXT DOOR by Huntley Fitzpatrick, OPENLY STRAIGHT by Bill Konigsburg, THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin, ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD by Kendare Blake, TASTE TEST by Kelly Fiore, ME, HIM, THEM, AND IT by Caela Carter, TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT ME by Randa Abdel-Fattah, THIS LOVE by Nazarea Andrews, LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR by Stephanie Perkins

August: Revisions of JUST VISITING! Continuing to draft the NA! August was full of fun, writerly goodness. August also brought WriteOnCon, and it was my first time participating as more than a cheerleader; I posted my first five pages of the abovementioned NA, LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT, and on the whole, people seemed to dig it, which was fun! I don’t usually do the sharing thing with stuff in progress, but turns out, it’s not as scary as I was afraid it might be.

And, Pitch Madness happened, so, that was fun! I got to be Slush Queen; I knew this tiara was good for something.

What I Read (THE VOW’s link goes to a guest post on this blog about the book by the author): SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY by Julie Murphy, IN HONOR by Jessi Kirby, OCD LOVE STORY by Corey Ann Haydu, FRIGID by Jennifer Armentrout, DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth, AMELIA ANNE IS DEAD AND GONE by Kat Rosenfield, BROKEN AT LOVE by Lyla Payne, FACADE by Nyrae Dawn, CAMP BOYFRIEND by J.K. Rock, THE VOW by Jessica Martinez, UNTEACHABLE by Leah Raeder

September: Lulz, Jewish holidays. Oh, and first round of BtS edits. Fabulous timing all around. If you tried to talk to me that month, sorry if I bit your face off.

What I Read: ALL OF YOU by Christina Lee, UNBREAK MY HEART by Melissa C. Walker, SMALL DAMAGES by Beth Kephart, FAKING IT by Cora Carmack, THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR by Dawn Klehr, TASTE THE HEAT by Rachel Harris, ORDINARY BEAUTY by Laura Wiess, VERY BAD THINGS by Ilsa Madden-Mills, WAIT FOR YOU by J. Lynn, WANDERLOVE by Kirsten Hubbard, BEAUTIFUL BROKEN by Nazarea Andrews, BE MY DOWNFALL by Lyla Payne, THE BEST NIGHT OF YOUR (PATHETIC) LIFE by Tara Altebrando, THE QUEEN OF KENTUCKY by Alecia Whitaker, NANTUCKET BLUE by Leila Howland, CATCHING LIAM by Gennifer Albin, RUSH ME by Allison Parr

October: Pretty sure all I wrote this month was LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT. For a book that seemed to be writing itself, it also sort of seemed to be inching along scene by scene. Probably because a lot of other stuff was happening? I don’t know. The last few months are sort of a blur. I do a lot of things. I did have an awesome time at an Epic YA Trivia Night event at McNally-Jackson (see below blog post “Intermission”) with my team, The Artist Formally Known as Printz, aka Emily Keyes, Amy Stern, Meredith Rich, and our new friend Kelly, but that’s about all I can remember.

What I Read: PRECIOUS THINGS by Stephanie Parent, DANGEROUS GIRLS by Abigail Haas, ASK THE PASSENGERS by AS King, 3 SIDES TO A CIRCLE by Jolene Perry, WHERE THE STARS STILL SHINE by Trish Doller, IN TOO DEEP by Samantha Young, PRICE OF A KISS by Linda Kage, SPIRAL by Mila Ferrera, SEKRET by Lindsay Smith, ALL FOUR STARS by Tara Dairman, WHERE I END AND YOU BEGIN by Andra Brynn, THE BET by Rachel Van Dyken, FAR FROM YOU by Tess Sharpe, NEARLY GONE by Elle Cosimano, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US by Kasie West, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT by Colleen Clayton, TSARINA by J. Nelle Patrick, THE COINCIDENCE OF CALLIE AND KAYDEN by Jessica Sorensen, ONLY BETWEEN US by Mila Ferrera, INSURGENT and ALLEGIANT by Veronica Roth, BEAUTIFUL BASTARD by Christina Lauren, BEING SLOANE JACOBS by Lauren Morrill, STIR ME UP by Sabrina Elkins, A LITTLE TOO FAR by Lisa Desrochers

November:I NaNo’d! And won! Please just ignore the fact that the book itself is terrible and I’m going to spend January and Feburary rewriting it. Thanks.

What I Read: JUST ONE YEAR by Gayle Forman, TEN by Gretchen McNeil, FANGIRL by Ken Baker, OPEN ROAD SUMMER by Emery Lord, SOCIAL SKILLS by Sara Alva, POOR LITTLE DEAD GIRLS by Lizzie Friend, WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart, LOVE LESSONS by Heidi Cullinan, THE BEST LAID PLANS by Tamara Mataya, EVERYTHING BETWEEN US by Mila Ferrera, THE PROMISE OF AMAZING by Robin Constantine, HEART BREATHS by KK Hendin, FINDING IT by Cora Carmack, BRUISED by Sarah Skilton, CROSSING THE LINE by Karla Doyle, THE GRAVITY BETWEEN US by Kristen Zimmer, FAULT LINE by Christa Desir, FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell, ROOMIES by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando, HOW TO LOVE by Katie Cotugno

December: Here we are! So what am I doing? Well, BEHIND THE SCENES is now officially in copy edits, I’m revising THE BOOK OF ESTHER for my agent, I’m still slowly drafting LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT (i.e. dawdling while I figure out the ending), and I’m making plans for exactly how to rip apart and put back together my NaNo book. I also started blogging for Barnes & Noble this month, which was cool, and I got to reveal the cover for BEHIND THE SCENES on YA Books Central, which was awesome!

Mostly, though, I’m just looking forward to 2014 – to debuting, to all the books I can’t wait to get my hands on…and to completely ignoring that kinda big birthday that’s now less than a month away….

What I’ve Read so Far: AMY & ROGER’S EPIC DETOUR by Morgan Matson, INK IS THICKER THAN WATER by Amy Spalding, THE INTERESTINGS by Meg Wolitzer, SNEAKING CANDY by Lisa Burstein, ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, LUNA by Julie Anne Peters, THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING by Robyn Schneider, UNTIL WE END by Frankie Brown, THE ART OF FALLING by Jenny Kaczorowski, THE SOUND OF US by Ashley Poston

What I Hope to Finish Reading By Year’s End: DAIRY QUEEN by Catherine Gilbert Murdoch

Anyway, The Broke and the Bookish wills this topic, and so it shall be! So, despite the billion books I bought over the past year that I’ve yet to even crack open, here are ten more that are already out and which I obviously need to own ASAP:

Well look where we are again! Another year is coming to a close, and it’s been a lovely one. And a crazy one. And one in which I’ve been admittedly a little manic. And busy. And happy and sad and up and down and all those things writers get. Well, probably all people, but whatever.

ANYWAY, if you recall last year, I had a post up with Ten Blunt Messages for Writers on the Eve of 2013. This year, I dropped the “Dear Writers” part, because honestly, some of these messages are for the publishing industry too. (And yes, I know it’s basically just yelling into the wind to post them here, about on par with writing an Open Letter to Miley Cyrus, but whatever. I CAME IN LIKE A WRECKING BALL.)

Where was I? Oh yeah. Bluntness. Let’s do this.

1. No agent is still better than a bad agent. Also, NO PUBLISHER IS BETTER THAN A BAD PUBLISHER.

If you read my blunt messages from last year, or listen to me talk, ever, you know how absurdly passionate I am about not trusting just anyone to handle your career. You may think, “OK, Dahlia, you’ve made your point.”

Maybe. Maybe not. Because I still spend a whole lot of time advising people on exiting from bad contracts. And I also get a lot of “You left an agent relationship that wasn’t working for you, so now maybe I can do the same,” which is great. (Here’s my original post on that, should you need some guidance.) But the fact is, there’s only so much being in a bad relationship with an agent can hurt you without a publisher being involved. In the age of self-publishing, there is always that option, and thankfully I know a number of people who’ve recovered from bad agent relationships with successful self-publishing endeavors.

A bad publisher, however, can seriously screw you. A bad publisher can make it so your book will never, ever be read. They can make it so you’ve thrown away your one shot with this book in a way even a bad agent can’t do. A bad publisher can take a huge chunk of your earnings while doing absolutely nothing for you that you couldn’t do yourself.

Before signing with any publisher, ask yourself this: Why am I doing this instead of self-publishing? And then ask yourself if the answers equal 30-55% of your royalty rates per book. PLEASE. Because if they’re not paying an advance, or getting your book into stores, or providing a strong publicity plan, and all they’re really doing is basically self-publishing your book for you…stop. Don’t. And run.

2. Properly managing expectations is the single-most underrated issue in publishing right now.

It’s impossible to argue that certain things sell better than others. Putting a half-naked couple on the cover of your NA will help sell it. Marketing your book as a romance will help sell it. Putting an exciting, fast-paced blurb on your book will help sell it.

But then what? What about when people actually read your book, and find the way it’s been marketed isn’t an accurate reflection of the content at all? Or, in the earlier stages, if your query isn’t an accurate reflection of your book?

Readers read with expectations that vary more than “good” or “bad.” They will dislike a book if they read it waiting for a suggested storyline that never pans out. They will be disappointed if they bought it because you suggested heavy focus on a storyline that’s really more of a subplot. They may buy your book, but you can’t make them like it. Or review it well. Or decide not to return it.

So please, stop. Stop misrepresenting the contents of your books (or your clients’ books) for marketing purposes. It’s not doing authors favors in the long run. I swear.

3. You don’t need to get offended at everything that can be read as offensive if you want it to be. Nor do you need to respond to it.

Top five most tiresome things I’ve seen on Twitter this year is a zillion people jumping on the defensive every time someone says something that can be perceived as derogatory about anything. Guys. It is not worth your time, or your energy, or your sanity. If there’s something an agent tweets about seeing a lot of, that’s not her saying “I hate everyone who does this and think your book is automatically bad and everyone should rot in hell.” So you do not need to jump in and explain why you’re a standout from this pack. Like, I just wanna slap a “No1curr” license plate on the rusty ’95 Taurus bumper that is every freaking tweet I see when this happens.

Similarly, I like to think we’re at the stage where we’ve all seen enough incredible self-published, Young Adult, and Romance books to stop going nuts every time some random asshole suggests they are universally without merit. They are always people who clearly don’t read all that widely, and continuing to give their opinions any sort of acknowledgment just feeds the beast. At some point, you just have to say, “I know better than you do about this, and sucks for you that you haven’t found the right books to change your mind.”

Trust me – there are a lot of legitimate ways to end up with hurt feelings or massive insecurities in this business. Don’t waste your time piling on more.

4. Refusing to accept critique is the surest way to stunt your growth as a writer, both in skill and career.

I don’t know how anyone got it into his or her head that there are books that get published with zero editing, but this is not how publishing works. I wrote a pretty good book. Then I sent it to betas, and changed it. Then I sent it to more betas, and changed it. Then I got an agent, and she had me change a scene. Then I got an editor, and I changed it some more based on her edit letter. Then more based on my line editor. And I’ll change it yet more based on my copy editors. That’s what the publishing process looks like. So if you can’t accept others’ opinions, or don’t want to hear what they have to say, what are you even doing?What do you think this job is?

You don’t have to take all the crit you hear, but you should at least be considering all of it, and why you’re getting it. Because no matter how good you think you are, there’s no escaping this when you do it professionally. If you’re looking to do this for money, and especially if you’re looking to do it traditionally, you’d better learn how to work with others to make your work better. And if you’re not hearing any? Get better CPs.

5. Idealism is nice, but so’s appreciating where and why some of your ideals are actually probably clashing with other ones.

Three things under this banner that I really, really want to talk about here:

Celebrity book/author hate

“Lowbrow” book hate

Amazon hate

This past year, I attended SCBWI in NYC, and it was an interesting experience, though probably not one I’ll repeat. One thing that really stings me about it to this day is a speech made by one of the authors – one who’s been very successful – in which she eviscerated celebrity writers. How terrible that these illiterates get huge amounts of money to “write” books! They have no business calling themselves authors! And then they become bestsellers, while those struggling – those who truly love the written word – can’t earn out four-figure advances!

Ahem. First of all, if you’re a professional author, or, really, a professional anything, calling out individuals by name to a room full of people is actually sort of gross, in my personal opinion, but whatever. Second, though, what it really ignores it this: They bring in money. And that is the money that allows Debut Writer to even get her four-figure advance. You’re probably pretty pro new writers getting book deals, huh? You’d probably like it to continue to be possible?

Then start by appreciating why revenue in the publishing industry is necessary, no matter who’s bringing it in.

Obviously the hatred of “lowbrow” books brings with it similar themes, but here’s a far, far more important issue I have with trashing books like FIFTY SHADES OF GREY:

They create readers.

No, I don’t care that you don’t like what they’re reading. They are reading, and if you’ve ever wished you could be the one to turn around a reluctant reader, then you should have infinite amounts of appreciation for the fact that people like E.L. James and Suzanne Collins have done just that.

And finally, Amazon hate/boycotts. Look, I get it. They’re not a bookstore; they’re a massive internet megalith that’s put plenty of all of our favorite stores out of business. There’s a lot about their effect on the American economy that’s actually pretty heartbreaking. And, of course, there’s the double-edged sword of “people can afford things they never would’ve been able to previously” and “Amazon devalues products by setting prices unreasonably low, especially of books, and sometimes without your permission.”

Here’s the other thing, though: if you’re an author with a small press (ahem), or especially if you’ve self-published, and in-store placement will be somewhere between minimal and non-existent? Amazon is what gives you a shot in hell of being discovered. And not just because you can sell there, but because all the work they put into the search algorithms that make them a megalith also helps your book get found. All those “People who searched for X also searched for Y” things or whatever? They bring up “small” books all. The. Time. So unless your ideals don’t allow for small authors to get their names out there (and maybe they don’t, but this is awkward, because guess what I am), this is probably a thing you’re pretty pro after all.

(Also I happen to have written this paragraph long before I did this interview with Leah Raeder, but as a very successful indie author who’s actually already published something, her words of wisdom on the subject are very worth reading.)

6. New Adult is a real thing that is selling. That doesn’t mean it’s being handled particularly well by traditional publishers.

It’s great that traditional publishers are taking on New Adult now. This is something I blogged about a billion years ago, and it’s been interesting watching it come to fruition. But the truth of the matter is, I still think they suck at it. I read NA books re-released by publishers after buying the rights for six figures and find it infuriating to see that they don’t run even the most epic of grammatical train wrecks through an additional proofreader. And while this isn’t to say that they haven’t been buying some books I’m very much looking forward to, I fail to see what they’re really doing for the authors that the authors can’t do themselves. If the big deals are still predominantly going to the authors who self-publish first anyway, what’s the draw to subbing them to editors at all?

This blunt message isn’t really to authors; it’s to publishers. Please, step up your game with NA. I know that for some reason you’re all allergic to having foresight when it comes to the category, but please open your eyes. It’s not going away. If you run it into the ground by insisting on publishing the same stuff with the same covers over and over again, what’s going to happen is that new independent authors are going to try to expand it to be more than the Contemporary Heterosexual Romance category it is, and they’ll succeed, and you’re just going to fall behind again, and this will be a whole new vicious cycle and please just be better at this. Thanks.

7. You cannot have a solid partnership with people you don’t respect.

This year, I wrote an admittedly controversial blog post on why querying agents and submitting to small presses simultaneously actually screws everyone over. I knew there would be people who wholeheartedly disagreed with me, and I get it – you have to be your own #1 advocate, and by ceding to what agents and editors want from you, it feels like you’re putting The Man’s needs before your own.

The thing is, to feel that way is kind of missing the point. Because this is about what’s best for you in the long run. This is about making sure you maintain solid relationships with the people you want to work with. This is about understanding how things work, and how people’s time works, and what it’s like navigating the business of traditional publishing. It is not a solo enterprise.

Obviously, this post sparked some conversation, but one in particular stands out to me. It wasn’t one I was meant to see; rather, it was had in a writers’ forum, and it ripped both me and the post apart, partly under the presumption I’m an agent. (I’m not, in case anyone wasn’t sure.) It suggested that as an agent, I was being selfish, and just about what I wanted, and what was best for me. And as writers, the people having this conversation really didn’t give a crap about what agents want; they just wanted to get published, however they had to make that happen.

The thing is, though, agents are people. They’re people you work with, converse with, trust with your work and your career. Your agent isn’t some stepstool you smash under your boot on your way to superstardom. So if you view them that way – as gatekeepers rather than partners – why are you trying to work with them at all? How solid and healthy do you think your relationship will be as long as you view them that way? If you don’t trust them within the confines of the system, and don’t trust them to find you the best deal possible, what’s even the point?

8. You are a person, not a promo machine.

Yes, I’ve already posted about The Necessary Evils of Self-Promotion, but I’m probably going to repeat myself about this one until the end of time. Because the fact is, being a cool person online is the best form of self-promotion, and it’ll make people find your books a whole lot faster and with a much greater predisposition to liking them than spamming links will.

Taking it one step blunter, though, be realistic about what’s really going to work for you and what’s going to get people excited about your book. So often, I see authors who haven’t debuted yet clamoring for people to get excited about excerpts or randomly tweeted lines or hints and I’m just like “GUYS, no one knows you yet! This is not so exciting!” I would so much rather get a sense of your writing from a guest post, or of your personality from an interesting interview, or see a playlist that gives me an idea of your book’s vibe. And that might just be a personal preference, but hey, that’s my name on top of this blog.

9. Everybody talks, and everybody can see what you put out on the Internet.

The publishing world is so incredibly small, but we’re not talking just agents and editors. When you’re an ungrateful contest entrant who ignores all crit? The rest of us who run contests know it. When you’re nasty about getting crit from a beta? Those of us who are pretty prolific betas know it. When you send nasty letters to an agent? When you publicly bash other writers? Understand this: everybody knows it. Stop. Act with some discretion and responsibility. Learn the beauty of having trustworthy friends to text about your frustrations. And stop thinking that a little talent can overcome a lot of lousy personality.

10. The only way to make a change in the publishing industry is to support the change you want to see.

The fascinating thing about New Adult, whatever you think of it, is the way it proved that there is power to be had outside of The Industry, as long as readers want it enough to prove it with their wallets, authors want it enough to prove it with their writing, and bloggers want it enough to promote it.

This can be true about anything.

If you want more diversity in your books, prove it. Buy it. Blog about it. Write it. Step outside your comfort zone, and just freaking do it. Might you fail? Sure. But you might fail at your attempt to be the lovechild of John Green and Rainbow Rowell too. There are no guarantees in this industry except for one: nothing can thrive that does not exist.

So consider your fear of failure. Then measure it up against the fact that letting it stop you from making a character who is gay, or black, or deaf means there will be one less of those characters on shelves (or Amazon) than there might’ve been. And please, just do your research, take a deep breath, and do it.

I’m so, so excited to be able to “introduce” the debut class of authors of Bloomsbury’s new digital YA/NA imprint, Bloomsbury Spark, headed up by the lovely Meredith Rich. These seven authors and books will be the imprint’s very first, so here’s a chance to get to know them all a little better on their debut day!!!

Each of the Sparkies answered the same three questions, which are posted at the bottom, plus a bonus fourth about her specific book. Then Meredith told me what drew her to each book and how she knew they were Sparkworthy!

So, check out all seven books and tell us in the comments what you’re excited to read!

Ashley Poston, THE SOUND OF US

Graduating from the University of South Carolina, Ashley Poston interned at Random House Publishers under Kodansha USA, where she edited the Sailor Moon manga and that was really, really, really cool. She wrote a play that won some award, and can quote every Motion City Soundtrack lyric by heart. She currently lives in South Carolina with her cat (aka her soulmate) and a plethora of books. When she’s not writing, she’s going to the movies (her second favorite past time) or taking extravagant road trips (her third favorite past time).

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America’s favorite pop band, Roman Holiday, is done, dead, and so totally last year. For eighteen-year-old rockoholic Junie Baltimore, this is music to her ears. But when she discovers their sexy ex-lead singer hiding out on the boardwalk, her summer vacation becomes the cover story of the year.

She’s willing to keep him a secret, but when a sleazy paparazzo offers her the cash she needs to save the bar her father left behind, could she sell out for the chance to save her future? Who is she kidding? That’s a no-brainer…but she never planned on falling head over heels for the lead singer.

Ash’s Bonus Q: What real-life lead singer would Junie be head-over-heels for? What about you?

A: Ha! Well, in the story Junie’s head-over-heels for Bon Jovi, and she’d probably hate everything from Fun to Maroon 5 to the Biebs. I, only the other hand, will proudly admit to my massive fan-boner for Nate Reuss. Fun’s first album, Aim and Ignite, is such a perfect album in my opinion. It has everything I could ever want in a listening experience. I’m really passionate about my music, kind of like Junie!

Why Meredith loves it: Ashley has written a truly kickass MC who is trying to figure out what to do with herself after high school, all the while fighting against pop music.

Frankie Brown writes, sells and hoards books in Athens, GA, a funky little town famous for its music scene. But, as anyone who’s ever heard the fruits of Frankie’s musical endeavors can attest, her talents lie elsewhere. She’s turned her creative energy to crafting stories and can typically be found hunched over a keyboard in her neighborhood coffee shops.

*

It’s been nine months since the virus hit, killing almost everyone it touched.

Seventeen-year-old Cora and her little brother, Coby, haven’t left home since. Not after the power cut out; not even after sirens faded in the distance and the world outside their backyard fence fell silent.

But when a blistering drought forces Cora to go in search of water, she discovers that the post-apocalyptic world isn’t as deserted as she thought when she meets Brooks, a drop-dead sexy army deserter.

Fighting their way back home, Cora finds her house ransacked and Coby missing – kidnapped by the military for dangerous medical experiments in the name of a cure. Brooks knows exactly where Cora can find her brother, except it’s a suicide mission. Cora doesn’t care. But Brooks can’t let her go…

Frankie’s Bonus Q: In a love triangle between you, Cora, and Brooks, who would end up alone, and why?

A: I would definitely end up alone, ha! I’m nowhere near tough enough for Brooks or Cora. And anyways, they kind of scare me.

Why Meredith loves it: Frankie takes a bunch of the dystopian tropes and pushes past them with fresh characters and a gripping story that you can’t put down.

Jenny writes almost possible impossible things, at least when she’s not wrangling her two wild children or working as a grant writer. She’s also an avid photographer, loves music despite no discernible musical talent and reads the dictionary for fun. You can follow her on twitter, Facebook, and her blog.

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For seventeen-year-old Bria Hale, image is everything. She’s a militant vegan with purple hair, Doc Martens and a permanent scowl. Kissing captain of the football team Ben Harris? Definitely not part of that image.

Now with each secret kiss, she’s falling deeper for the boy every girl at Oceanside High is crushing on. Throw in a few forbidden bacon cheeseburgers and she’s facing one major identity crisis.

Ignoring Ben should be easy, but when a flashy display of artistic spirit lands her in close quarters after hours with the boy she’s too cool to like, she can’t keep pretending those kisses meant nothing. With her reputation and her heart on a collision course, Bria must either be true to herself or to the persona she’s spent all of high school creating.

Jenny’s Bonus Q: Bria’s got a very distinct presence – what was high school Jenny like?

A: Not quite as interesting as Bria, although I did dye my hair a lot and owned a pair of Doc Martens. I was an art kid, but also very involved in my church youth group, the newspaper and National Honor Society. My favorite teacher gave me the best compliment ever when he told me he never figured me out. So I guess the best way to describe high school Jenny would be a contradiction!

Why Meredith loves it: The kissing scenes. (Oh is that not enough? THE KISSING SCENES.)

Christine Duval lives in New Jersey with her guitar-playing husband, two awesome kids, and a sweet little lovebird. She loves pizza and sushi, in that order. If she’s not writing, you’ll find her cooking or carpooling. “Positively Mine” is her debut novel. Follow her here:

It is four weeks into her freshman year of college, and Laurel’s first test was unexpected. Discovering she’s pregnant isn’t exactly what she had planned for her first semester, and while she intends to tell her emotionally-distant father, being away at school makes it all too easy to hide.

An imperfect heroine plagued by bad choices and isolated during what should be the best time of her life, readers are sure to identify with Laurel as she confronts teen pregnancy, in secret.

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Christine’s Bonus Q: Laurel ends up being fairly isolated; who’s on your autodial list for dealing with a crisis, no matter how small?

A: My husband Paul, my mom or dad (depending who answered the phone first), my two sisters, Laura and Deb, plus two of my oldest friends: Jen, who I’ve been besties with since 6th grade; and Mara, since freshman year of college. And it is safe to say it would be consecutive phone calls, taking up most of my afternoon, followed by back and forth emails, probably a couple texts…until said crisis was resolved. I have a tendency to overreact.

Why Meredith loves it: On every read I fall right into the college world and I love a voyeuristic look into life as a pregnant freshman.

Marie Langager lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and son. She has a degree in English Literature. She’s certain that many new adventures await us beyond our stars.

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Fleeing a destroyed Earth, seventeen-year-old orphan Hope grew up living in the confines of a spaceship heading to CR-3, a new home planet. She’s been kicking the steel walls for too long and ever since she broke her boyfriend’s heart, touchdown could mean open air and a fresh start. But no one expected the Locals.

Hope’s dreams of freedom turn into nightmares when the Locals trap the humans and mark groups for observation. At any moment she can be called into a holographic observation room for testing. Some days she’s drowning in a strange dark ocean, some days she’s locked up without food, and all with the one boy she can’t seem to forget.

As the Locals study Hope, she studies them. She wants to believe the tall grey creatures could be peaceful, but as the simulations become more dangerous, Hope is about to become the human race’s last chance for survival.

Marie’s Bonus Q: If you were fleeing Earth like Hope, what would you take with you?

A: If I was fleeing Earth and only allowed to take what I could fit in a backpack…Hmm. I’d bring the photo of my dearly departed grandfather and me on my wedding day, the stack of notes written between my husband and I during high school that I have tied in a ribbon, and then I’d let my son fill up the rest.

Why Meredith loves it: I love that Hope is accidentally popular on her spaceship, (and not always terribly friendly), and that this allows her to become an unlikely leader on their new planet.

Cat Kalen is a multi published author in the romance genre under two pen names, Cat is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and watermelon. She has two teenagers who keep her busy with their never ending activities, and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. Cat can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love.

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Eighteen year old Pride is a tracker with a hunger for blood. Taught to trick and to lure, she is the perfect killing machine.

Kept leashed in the cellar by a master who is as ruthless as he is powerful, Pride dreams of freedom, of living a normal life, but escape from the compound is near impossible and disobedience comes with a price.

When she learns her master intends to breed her she knows she has to run.

Pride soon learns if she is to survive in the wild, she must trust in the boy who promises her freedom, the same boy she was sent to hunt.

Cat’s Bonus Q: Pride’s got her own survival tactics, now what are yours for getting through writing and revisions?

A: I love this question! I did quite a bit of extensive edits, and with Meredith’s help we’ve made this book shine! What were my survival tactics? Well, after a lot of mumbling and name calling (JK!…sort of!) I simply dug in. Armed with lots of coffee and snacks, and ignoring any and all household chores, I sat at my computer for many hours each day, revising, deleting and rewriting until i was happy with the end product. At the end of the night, I always rewarded myself with chocolate!

Why Meredith loves it: Gripping, steamy…Cat writes romance so well and her shape shifters offer a new twist on paranormal NA.

Jen McConnel first began writing poetry as a child. A Michigander by birth, she now lives and writes in the beautiful state of North Carolina. When she isn’t crafting worlds of fiction, she teaches college writing composition and yoga. Once upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time. Visit http://www.jenmcconnel.com to learn more.

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Lou is in the middle of a quarter-life crisis. Freshout of college, she’s unemployed and unsure of herself. But when she gets the chance to escape

to Scotland with her best friend, it could be the answer to her quest for self-discovery. The trip is not at all what she expected, especially when her tour guide turns out to be the dreamy historian Brian, and together they embark on a hunt for information about Isobel Key, a woman accused of witchcraft in the seventeenth century.

They set out to learn the truth of the condemned witch, but Lou isn’t prepared for the knowledge that awaits her. She must face her own demons if she has any hope of righting the wrongs of the past.

Flashing between seventeenth century Scotland and a contemporary romance, THE SECRET OF ISOBEL KEY is a mystery that will please readers of all ages.

Jen’s Bonus Q: Isobel Key lived in Scotland in the 17th Century; where would you have liked to live during that time and why?

A: When I was growing up, I always fantasized about where in time I’d rather live, but this is actually a really tough question; there weren’t a lot of safe places back then for an opinionated woman! I suppose I’d have to say Italy, so I could sneak into a Commedia dell’arte troupe and see what it’s like to live the life of a wandering performer.

And now, to complete the epicness of this momentous launch day, here are the three questions asked of all seven Sparkies:

1. Not only are some of you debut authors, but you’re also imprint pioneers! What’s been the most exciting “First” of the whole experience?

Ash: Getting to work with the fabulous Meredith Rich, esteemed Editor-in-Awesome. But I also really love the camaraderie I have with my fellow Sparkies. It’s definitely a first for me to have such a tight-nit group of authors who just *get* you. Craziness and all.

Frankie: The most exciting first for me was seeing that offer pop into my inbox after months of refreshing my email. I screamed. I ran to the bookshop where I work and screamed some more. I worried that there had been a nightmarish mix-up and the offer had gone to wrong writer! The next morning when I woke up and the emails from Meredith were still there, I was so relieved. It still feels like a dream sometimes.

Jenny: The first time I saw my cover comps! Seeing my title, with my name and the imprint logo, on a professional cover stole my breath! That’s the moment it became real for me.

Christina: For me, it was that very first email from Meredith Rich that said, “I am thrilled to make you an offer.” After that, getting to know all my fellow Spark authors and being a part of the process – not just working on “Positively Mine” but promoting the entire imprint. It has all been such a thrill!

Marie: I think for me it’s been getting to have the other authors in the launch with me! It’s really cool to be a pioneer with a whole team of fantastic writers, experiencing it at the same time!

Cat: It’s hard to pinpoint what has been the most exciting experience so far because everything, from the first email editor extraordinaire Meredith Rich sent me, to receiving the contract and edits have been thrilling. It has also been such a pleasure getting to know the other Sparkies, and together we’re going to move mountains!!

Jen: Oh, man, too many to count! I think the best “first” was getting my first peak at the cover concepts. It’s been so fun watching ISOBEL be reborn, and I LOVE the new cover!

2. What gives your main character that extra Spark? (SEE WHAT I DID THERE??)

Ash: (YOU’RE SO PUNNY.) The main character for THE SOUND OF US has pink hair. YES, PINK HAIR. You can definitely see her from space… But she’s also a pretty rad girl. She has a lot of pressure put on her, and she doesn’t break under it. I think that’s pretty remarkable. She questions herself, but I think everyone at eighteen questions who they are in terms of the world, and his or her “place” in it. Oh, and she’s a “radio heart” which pretty much means she can name any song on the radio in five notes flat. She’s better than Shazam and SoundHound put together!

Frankie: The thing I love most about my main character, Cora, is that she’s tough, smart and also very human. Her world is morally gray (a dark charcoal gray) and she’s willing to make the gray decisions necessary for the sake of the people she loves. But she hates it.

Jenny: Bria is all spark! She’s a militant vegan with purple hair, Doc Martens and amazing artistic talent. I love her independence and the way she cares about the people in her life. She’s definitely a caretaker with an inner vulnerability that I find so endearing. For all her external bluster, she still has a long journey to be okay with herself, just like all of us.

Christina: I think what gives Laurel her “Spark” is her underlying strength. I don’t always agree with the choices she makes along the way, but I love how she perseveres through several difficult situations – even when she is scared, she manages to keep going.

Marie: Hope is brave, passionate, and determined. She’s also understandably scared and often so very flawed. She’s deeply in love but doesn’t want to lose herself in that love. And she’s not a person who gives up easily.

Cat:I think my character is special because she’s so flawed, yet she has such an inner strength and fights for what she believes in.

Jen: Lou is shy and uncertain, but what really lights her fire is her fascination with history and her willingness to believe the unbelievable.

3. If the seven of you made a Bloomsbury Spark soundtrack, what would your book’s contribution be?

Ash: Since Junie is a connoisseur of all things classic rock, she’d probably be FLAMING HOT-ROCKS MAD if I didn’t solemnly swear to include Bon Jovi (pre-haircut days).

Frankie: It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” by R.E.M., of course! Being from Athens, how could I pick anything else?

Jenny: Only one?! I guess I’d go with “Am I Missing” by Dashboard Confessional. But if I could also pick one for Ben it would be “Strange Girl” by The Airborne Toxic Event.

Christina: All my fellow Sparkies know this answer by now…Sarah Barreilles’ album “Kaleidoscope Heart” would be my contribution. I listened to it the entire time I was writing the first draft of “Positively Mine.” If I could only pick one song it would be “Uncharted.”

Marie: Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

Cat:Mine would seriously have to be the Rocky Tribute, Eye of the Tiger. (Just a girl and her will to survive!)

Jen: It’s always gotta be Queen with me, so I’d throw in “Don’t Stop Me Now”. LOVE that song, and love listening to it when I need a jolt of energy.

Right now I am looking for more genre fiction, (high-concept science fiction and fantasy in particular,) and contemporary romance as long as it has a great hook and feels fresh. We are looking for more male main characters, and also for stories that would do well with an international audience. Right now I am also on the hunt for fun YA/NA romance novellas for various times of the year, (think prom, spring break, snowy winter, etc.) As for my personal taste, I am always drawn to a really strong voice, I love humor, and I am looking to expand our New Adult offerings. I love stories that take you on an adventure and spark your imagination, but also let you get a good sigh-worthy moment in now and then.

Please do include a query and information about yourself including links to your online presence. If I like your submission it makes it that much easier to find out more about you! I am always accepting submissions from agents as well, so if you are interested in Spark and have an agent, please ask them to submit to me directly.

And now, for my own personal superlative, I’m gonna go with “Book you most meant to read in 2013 but now won’t get to until 2014” – WILD AWAKE by Hilary T. Smith (runners up include THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE by Leila Sales and PIVOT POINT by Kasie West)

Time for another round of Top Ten Tuesday with The Broke and the Bookish! You can already see the self-explanatory topic, so just to explain the order in which I listed, it’s by number of books I bought and read by said author after “discovering” her in 2013. Basically, if I read her for the first time in 2013 and then promptly bought multiple books – or plan to – she’s almost definitely on this list.

1. Veronica Roth – I’m a primarily contemp reader, but for a couple of reasons, the DIVERGENT/INSURGENT/ALLEGIANT series is one I decided to try out, and ultimately ended up consuming in the space of a couple of months. I’ll spare everyone my thoughts on the ending, but I will say that as a person, Veronica Roth also seriously inspired me with her classiness during the insanity of all the ALLEGIANT backlash, so, voila! Number 1.

2. Mila Ferrera – I’ve read a ton of NA this year, but it’s rare that I care about what an author’s got coming up next. Judging by how many times I checked Amazon awaiting the release of EVERYTHING BETWEEN US after reading SPIRAL and ONLY BETWEEN US, I’d say she’s definitely earned a spot on my instabuy list. (And yes, I ended up enjoying EBU too!)

3. Cora Carmack – While I found LOSING IT to be really rusty on a lot of fronts, I ultimately enjoyed it enough to pick up FAKING IT. The latter convinced me that with an actual editor behind her, she was an author whose books I’d have to add to my NA collection. Then I loved FINDING IT too. Plus, I love the idea for her next series, and I’m looking forward to it!

5. Trish Doller – I read SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL in February without putting it down, and climbed the walls waiting for WHERE THE STARS STILL SHINE, which I liked. Doller won’t be putting out another book until 2015’s ARCADIA FALLS, but I will most assuredly be buying it.

6. Rainbow Rowell – I liked ELEANOR & PARK, and then liked FANGIRL even more. Plus, I got to meet her in person this year, and she was super lovely.

7. Christina Lauren – I read BEAUTIFUL BASTARD immediately after ALLEGIANT, and it was the perfect cure to what could’ve been a brutal book hangover. I’m working my way though buying the rest of the series now (I bought BEAUTIFUL PLAYER on release day and am holding off on reading it until I get the rest!), and I’m looking forward to everything coming up from this pair!

8. Leah Raeder – You know when you read a book by an author and you just know you’re going to buy everything they ever write? That.

9. Kasie West – Ditto. This year, I read THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US, and in 2014, I fully plan to buy…everything else.

I may have been on team “This isn’t the ending I wanted” but I respect the author’s right to choose it, loved the series as a whole, and it’s also the only Dystopian I read this year, so it wins by default anyway 😉

Favorite Science Fiction – ULTRAVIOLET CATASTROPHE by Jamie Grey

Very few people can get me to read Sci-Fi, and by that I mean Jamie’s it!

Favorite Fantasy

I…actually read zero 2013 Fantasy books. Oops. I did read FINNIKIN OF THE ROCK this year, and the third book in the trilogy, QUINTANA OF CHARYN, did come out this year, so…can we say that? Sort of?

Favorite Contemporary – OCD LOVE STORY by Corey Ann Haydu

It feels funny to call this a favorite when I found it so hard to read, but this book has given me so much to think about, and even months later, it’s still working its way into my brain. I suspect it’ll be there for a good, long time.

Favorite Action/Adventure – DANGEROUS GIRLS by Abigail Haas

OK, yes, it’s not really action or adventure, but I couldn’t think of anything I’d read that fell into that category, so I’m re-appropriating it into “Psychological Thriller” and there’s no question this was my favorite of the year in that category.

Favorite Historical Fiction

I actually didn’t read a single 2013 YA histfic title, but I read ARCs for some great 2014 ones, including TSARINA by J. Nelle Patrick and SEKRET by Lindsay Smith.

Favorite Comedy – OPENLY STRAIGHT by Bill Konigsburg

It feels a little funny to classify this one as a comedy, but I laughed out loud so many times in the opening pages that my husband stirred from sleep to ask me what was going on, so.

Favorite Mystery – PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL by Kara Taylor

Oh God, this one kept me up absurdly late, and it was totally worth it!

Favorite Romance – HOW TO LOVE by Katie Cotugno

My favorite actual romance pairing was Caymen and Xander in THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US by Kasie West, but overall book that I think would be classified as a Romance goes to HOW TO LOVE.

Favorite Paranormal – THE ART OF WISHING by Lindsay Ribar

I found this book so absurdly unputdownable, which was extra welcome given it’s not my usual genre! Can’t wait for 2014’s sequel.

Favorite Family Drama – THE REECE MALCOLM LIST by Amy Spalding

I went in to this book expecting to be bored by the family stuff and into it for the romance alone. Color me surprised when the romance didn’t do it for me but I actually found the storyline about a girl and her estranged author mother rather brilliant and lovely.

Favorite Genre Bender – 17 & GONE by Nova Ren Suma

OK, It’s not really a genre bender, per se, but Suma’s skill is in literary beauty that plays on the line between between normal and paranormal, and though this one doesn’t step into the latter as its predecessor does, it definitely feels blurry for a while.